The 2014 FIFA World Cup starts this week in Brazil. It is the world’s most watched event. 32 teams will face off initially in Groups. The best 2 in each Group then move to the knock out stages, when ultimately the last 2 teams standing will fight it out on 13 July 2014 in Rio De Janeiro to be crowned Football World Cup Champions.

Yet, just as the 2014 Games open, the FIFA brand is under the spotlight for its lack of transparency and governance. Qatar’s bid – run by the now discredited Mohamed Bin Hammam – makes Eddie Obeid’s infamous antics Downunder downright amateur.

The FIFA brand regrettably is bereft of any real credibility. While we might conveniently turn a blind eye to the behaviour of leadership at the top while watching the FIFA World Cup games, the stench from FIFA's apparent corruption, poor governance, lack of credibility, conflicted values and lack of transparency will run as a constant insidious undertow thoughout them.

Should a team like the Socceroos receive a bad call by a referee, why wouldn’t we naturally believe that the referee might have been influenced by FIFA's leadership to have the result called in a way leadership wanted?

There is a lot going on at FIFA that goes to the heart of what a brand with credibility should not do.

It's not beyond the realm of possibility if teams like England, France, Italy, Germany, and other power houses move to form another competition. If that did happen, then the FIFA brand value would go to dust overnight.

Want to be an employer brand of repute and upstanding? Then I suggest you look at FIFA and do the opposite of how FIFA operates.

Do have:

Ethical and principled leadership

Governance and accountability to all stakeholders

Transparency of systems

Checks and balances throughout

Strong, ethical sets of values – understood and lived by all from the top down

Delivery of a product that has 100% credibility

A well-defined purpose that underpins everything you do

A taint free product that when delivered, is unquestioned

Staff that are empowered to make their own decisions

Accountability for those decisions that are understood by all – under scrutiny

When you have these foundations in place as an employer, then everyone knows what’s expected – and it’s exciting to be part of.

Idealistic?

Not really.

It’s what makes for an attract employer brand.

Enjoy the 2014 FIFA World Cup – despite.

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About the author:

Greg Weiss is the Founder of CareerSupport365. He has almost 30 years success in HR and in career coaching people.